


Just Another Quarantine Fic

by Jlocked



Series: Aromantic Lovestory [1]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Aromantic Characters, Aromantic Yennefer, Gen, Jaskier is a professor - and a youtuber, Professional Learning Communities (you don't wanna know), Quarantine, Yennefer is a botanist because why not, academic work, aromantic lovestory, becoming friends, getting drunk and being silly, greyromantic Jaskier, social distancing, zoommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23497930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jlocked/pseuds/Jlocked
Summary: Jaskier’s classes at Oxenfurt U have been moved online due to the partial lockdown of the Continent. It’s no fun sitting alone in his tiny flat, but his students and his own writing project is keeping him busy. So he really doesn’t need the prorector pushing him to contact the team he’s been assigned to in the University’s newest scheme to improve its academic levels. Especially since he doesn’t know any of the people he’s supposed to be working with.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion (mentioned), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg (mentioned), Jaskier | Dandelion & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Series: Aromantic Lovestory [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726213
Comments: 21
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Čeština available: [[Překlad] Jen další karanténní povídka](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24183046) by [Aludnev_of_Uberwald](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aludnev_of_Uberwald/pseuds/Aludnev_of_Uberwald)



> This is a little thing that got out of hand. It was originally inspired by this post: 
> 
> https://chiaroscuroverse.tumblr.com/post/613720215744839680
> 
> But instead of going for the romantic pining, I wanted to focus on friendship (and a little bit of drama).  
> There’s a lot of my own headcanons in here, but I’ll leave those for the end not to spoil too much (not that there’s a lot of actual plot).  
> I’m half way through the books so the characters are sort of a mix between the show and the books (haven’t played the game yet, but hopefully will soon)  
> I also heaped a barrelful of my own experiences with social distancing and working from home on top. Sorry.  
> Chapters will be short but I'll try to update every other day.  
> If you enjoy, let me know. If you don’t, just close the tab.

Oh, great! Jaskier thought as he read the email through again. He had hoped that the current chaos might put the management’s brightest new idea on pause. Professional Learning Communities… What the hell was that even supposed to mean? 

‘Oh, but you’ll all get so much better at what you do if you start collaborating with each other rather than just sitting alone with your own subjects and methods,’ the prorector had gushed. ‘You can share your ideas and provide a fresh point of view and…’ Jaskier had pretty much tuned out after that.

He’d been teaching at Oxenfurt U for over a decade. Admittedly he’d taken some lengthy breaks along the way, but he was still one of the most popular professors in the department. Not that people called him ‘Professor’. His students because he had asked them not to and his colleagues either because they were his friends or because they couldn’t quite wrap their heads around how someone so young had come so far in their academic career.

Jaskier didn’t mind. In fact, it was kind of flattering that people automatically assumed him to be a decade or more younger than his actual age. Flattering and very, very practical when he hit the clubs during the weekend. With a bit of makeup and a change of clothes, not even his most devoted students would recognise him as Mr Pankratz, their goofy but knowledgeable Classical Poetry teacher.

His powers of transformation had other advantages. So far, none of his students had recognised him as the Dandelion who had been quite the YouTube sensation in his day. His songs were still getting hits but nothing close to their near-viral status when they had been new.

Geralt had hated that. He’d refused to let Jaskier use pictures of him for the videos and the time he had tried filming him at work, Geralt had nearly smashed his phone. 

Well, it wasn’t Jaskier’s fault that his best friend just happened to be the Continent’s number one name in private security. And looked damn fine in his uniform. So fine that he had inspired Jaskier into composing more than a few riveting ballads about the ‘rugged hero’, the ‘white wolf’ setting out to combat monsters and rescue fair maidens. 

Even though Geralt had been very verbal about his dislike of the songs and the persona Jaskier had created around him, he had been caught on more than one occasion humming the tunes. And once, while Geralt was in the shower, Jaskier had checked his browser history and found that he not only listened to the songs but subscribed to his channel. He was saving that tidbit of information for a special occasion.

One that might not come, since they were… not on good terms…

Yeah, he didn’t want to think about that. Better focus on the job at hand.

On top of having to do all of his lectures online, he had also been encouraged, quite insistently, to reach out to his assigned team of ‘professionals’ with whom he would be collaborating. It would have made sense if they had been from his own department, he supposed. Like Drogodar who taught classical literature or Priscilla who was _the_ authority on modern poetry.  
But no… That wasn’t the point of this exercise. Gods forbid that they could actually help each other with anything practical like how to keep their students interested in the study of the written word when the world was crashing down around them. He couldn’t really blame them if they were more focused on the state of the world than the use of mimesis in migration age epics.

Instead, they had him working together with an economics guy, a physicist and a… botanist? Flowers? Seriously? He shook his head and sighed. Well, there was nothing for it, he thought as he looked over his introductory email again and then hit ‘send’.

The first reply came so quickly it could only have been automated. He frowned and opened it. Apparently the economist had been reassigned to a Cintra-based task force. Something about projections for the consequences of the current lockdown of parts of the Continent and blablabla. Jaskier sighed and rolled his eyes. Well, small blessings. The other two in the group were women and he generally found those easier to work with.

About an hour later, he heard from the next member of the group. The physicist, Tissaia. Having been tested positive for the virus, she was checking into the university hospital and would not be available for the foreseeable future. 

Feeling horrible about his earlier grumbling, Jaskier sent her a private message, wishing for her speedy recovery and telling her not to worry about the team.

That left the botanist, some woman he had never met, with the rather melodic name of Yennefer. He liked that. Might end up using it in a composition if she did not object.

He couldn’t ask her right away though, because she took her time answering. Three days to be exact. Not that Jaskier minded. He had plenty to keep him occupied. The lectures themselves, of course, and then answering questions from confused students. And once work was over, he was working on his writing. Not a song this time, but a book. At least he hoped it would be, one day. He was gathering all his stories about Geralt, both the ones he had experienced firsthand, the ones he had heard from the other guys at the company, especially Eskel who got very talkative when Jaskier brought him coffee on his night shifts, and the few he had wheedled out of the man himself.

He had considered writing it as an actual biography, but Geralt would never forgive him, so he’d be changing just enough names and details to make it seem like fiction. But anyone who knew the people involved would not have a doubt who it was really about.

If Geralt read it, he might… might want to come over and shout at Jaskier again.

Jaskier shook off the thought and focused on the message.

‘I have time after 4. If we really have to do this.’

Jaskier chuckled. He might actually like this one.

‘I don’t think we have a choice,’ he wrote back. ‘Especially since you and I appear to be all that’s left of our team.’

After hitting send, he wondered if that might be a bit too dark since Professor Tissaia was actually sick. Well, nothing he could do about that now. He set an alarm for five to four and went back to his writing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaskier and Yennefer's first meeting. They get to know each other and even share a few of their darkest secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a firm believer that if Geralt (and the Djinn) had not been involved these two would have had instant chemistry and have struck up the kind of friendship that the Continent would never have recovered from. Probably for the best that they didn't...

“Is the sound on, hello?”

“Yes,” Jaskier answered, flashing the camera his most charming smile. “I can hear you. Can’t see you though. You need to click the camera-icon.” He gestured to the spot it should be on her screen, then quickly added: “That is, you don’t have to use the camera if you don’t want to. I’m fine with just talking.”

“No, hang on, I’ve just never used this thing before.”

He caught a brief glimpse of pale skin and dark hair and then her arm covered most of the view as she was, he assumed, adjusting the angle of the screen of her laptop. Then her face came into view. She was… stunning.

And oddly terrifying.

Her hair was dark and thick, her features fine but striking and her eyes seemed almost violet. Must be a trick of the light.

She was a lot younger than he had expected. For some reason her name and field of work had made him expect someone a little more… motherly… No, that wasn’t the word. More like a matron aunt. This woman looked to be in her early twenties. So either she was some kind of prodigy or she was as genetically blessed as him.

“You’re staring.” 

Jaskier snapped his mouth closed, then cleared his throat. “Oh… uhm… sorry. You’re just… younger than I expected.”

She laughed. It was a soft laugh with a sad note to it. “I could say the same about you.”

“Oh no.” He shook his head. “Thank you, but I just know how to moisturise and… stuff…”

She nodded solemnly but then laughed again. This time it sounded genuine. “Stuff?”

He laughed too. “I’ll tell you about it later. Maybe.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she said before putting on her business face.

They spent almost two hours looking at the charts and trying to do the exercises, but it just didn’t work with only two people.

“I give up,” Jaskier said after they had both attempted and failed to take on the dual part of the optimist and pessimist when interviewing the other. “I guess we should just let them know that we can’t do it.”

“We should,” she said. “But…”

“But?”

“If we do that, they’ll assign us to new groups and then we’ll…”

“...actually have to do this stuff.” he finished. “ You’re right. We’d better not say anything.”

They both had a good laugh. 

“I’ll fudge up a log of some sort,” she said, reaching for something off-screen. A beer. Jaskier was liking her more and more.

“Cheers,” he said, reaching for his own bottle, which, disappointingly, only contained orange soda. He needed to do some shopping soon. Maybe one of the local shops would deliver… He took out his phone to check.

“Oh, am I keeping you from something?”

He looked up at the screen, confused for a second. Then he put the phone down. “Oh no… Sorry about that. My brain is like a puppy sometimes. It just follows each new impulse indiscriminately.”

“And this impulse was?” She cocked her head and raised her eyebrows, making him feel like a squirming specimen under a microscope.

“To check if I could have groceries delivered. Well… mostly wine.”

Yennefer laughed. “Oh, right. Try Morgan’s. If the sons are in, he’ll send one out with your stuff. Just don’t pay in cash. And keep your distance.”

“Of course. Thanks.” He began searching for the number. “So… should we arrange when to meet again or…?”   
“I don’t have any plans right now,” she said. “Other than some boring research that I’m trying to avoid. If you want some company while drinking, I don’t mind waiting.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll be right back.” He muted the microphone and stood up, walking away from the laptop while calling Morgan’s.

…

Yennefer snorted into her drink. “I knew I’d seen you before,” she gasped as she grabbed a nearby piece of clothing and clumsily wiped her face and then dabbed at the drops that had hit the screen. “Dandi-fucking-lion.” She let out a howl of laughter. “Do your students know?”

“Of course they fucking don’t.” He couldn’t tell whether the heat in his cheeks was from embarrassment or wine. Probably both. “And neither do any of my colleagues. If you breathe a word of this, I will have to kill you.”

“Cross my heart and…” She hummed one of his earliest tunes, “... hope to die.”

“I think I hate you,” he said and raised his glass to the screen fondly.

“Right back at you… bard.”

He groaned. “Can we just forget about that? I was young and stupid.”

“And now you’re just stupid?”

“Fuck you!” Jaskier pushed his chair back as he jumped to his feet and wagged a finger at Yennefer’s laughing face. “If you were here, I’d…”

“Careful, Professor Dandelion, your age is starting to show.”

He emptied his glass, righted his chair and reached for the bottle as he sat down. “You’re horrible. And it’s your turn. What’s your deepest darkest secret?”

Her smile faltered for just a second, but then she took another sip of her drink and raised her chin almost defiantly.

“I’ve had… work… done.”

“Work?” It took him far too long to figure out what she meant. “Shit… Really? Like what, a boob-job? Can I see?”

Her glare did nothing to wipe the grin off his face.

“No… Those are all mine.” She took a deep breath. “I was born with some… issues. The doctors wouldn’t touch it before I’d gone through puberty. Said it might make it worse. Well, when I could finally get the corrective surgery, I figured if they were gonna cut me up anyway, they might as well go all the way.”

He bit his lip, all mirth gone. He didn’t know what to say.

When she spoke again, her voice was muted and she didn’t look at the camera. “I guess I felt like I deserved it. I’d spent so many years feeling ugly and wrong. It was my turn to be beautiful. To be wanted.”

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t bursting with curiosity. What had she looked like before? What exactly had been done? How long had it taken and how much had it cost?

He had so many questions, but for once he was able to bite them back.

“Well…” he began hesitantly, hoping it was the right thing to say. “For what it’s worth, I think you are. Beautiful, I mean. And I’d definitely want to hook up with you if I’d met you at a bar.”

“If you’d met me…” She raised her eyebrows again. He wished she’d stop doing that. It was making him want to squirm. “So what you’re saying is, that if you didn’t know me you’d do me. But now that you do, you won’t, because I’m… a bitch?”

“Yup. That’s it.” Jaskier nodded solemnly and raised his glass. Then he shook his head. “No, I just mean… You seem like a really cool person. Someone I could see myself being friends with when all this is over.”

Her open and soft expression nearly took his breath away. “Thank you, Jaskier.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaskier is a good friend

“Did you read it?” Yennefer asked when they had both gotten settled with steaming mugs.   
Jaskier sipped his tea, hissed because it was too hot and nodded. “Yeah... It was impressive. Not sure they’ll buy it, but hey, it’s worth a go.”  
“You think I went too far?”  
“A bit… The thing about using different devices for the different roles in the discussion was a great idea, but I doubt it would work.”  
“We could give it a try.” She laughed and Jaskier couldn’t blame her. He might have overdone his terrified expression a bit. “Not with the interview-exercise but like… for fun. Like being our best and our worst selves…”  
Three minutes later, Jaskier had set up his phone next to his laptop. Meanwhile, Yennefer was messing with an old tablet which needed to be updated before she could get the software to work. He sat back, sipped his now perfect tea, and enjoyed her very creative cursing.  
“So…” he said once they’d gotten their ‘alter egos’ set up. “The laptop is the good guys and the other ones are the bad guys?”  
She nodded, which looked very odd since he was seeing two versions of her, one from the front, the other slightly from the side. Under the two images were the dual Jaskiers, slightly more aligned, probably because he’d been able to place his phone closer to the laptop’s camera.   
He looked into the latter, smiled sweetly, then focused on the phone and flashed his best mischievous grin.  
Yennefer dissolved in giggles.  
“Fuck, that’s horribe,” she gasped. “I mean, it’s brilliant, but it’s like you’re two different people.”  
“Your turn.” He leaned back expectantly.  
It took several attempts because she kept laughing, but finally she managed a sort of demure gaze at one camera and then hit the other with a smouldering temptress of the kind that should be rounded up and shot. Or at least locked up.  
“Holy hell, are you trying to kill me?”  
She snorted in a very unseductive way. “I’m sorry. More than you can handle?”  
“I can handle quite a lot, thank you very much, but that... “ He shivered. “That was intense. Where did you learn to do that?”  
“I didn’t learn it, I… Well, yes, I guess I sort of did. I spent an embarrassing amount of time practising in front of a mirror after everything had… y’know… settled.”  
“That makes sense, I guess.” He nodded and sipped his tea, then winced. Too cold. “Getting to know the new you.”  
“You’ve never done that?” she asked. “Practising in front of the mirror.”  
He shook his head.  
“Bollocks.” She did the eyebrows. “Back when you were doing videos for your channel. Don’t tell me you didn’t rehearse first.”  
“Yeah, okay.” He shrugged. “Back then, sure. A little.” More than a little, actually, but he was never going to admit that. At least not while sober. Looking this adorable had taken a lot of time and hard work. But part of the charm was the illusion that it was all natural.  
He excused himself to go make some fresh tea and then they spent a very enjoyable hour playing around with different personas and staging huge dramatic fights between the four of them.  
He was almost sad to have to log off, but he had a virtual stack of papers to grade and she needed to see to some… seedlings?

...

It was getting late and he was trying to talk himself into logging off and heading for bed, when a notification popped up in the corner of his screen.  
‘Can you talk?’  
Before he had time to answer, he got a second one: ‘Never mind. See you tomorrow.’  
He typed quickly: ‘I’m here. What’s up?’  
While waiting for a reply, he opened up their usual room. A minute went by and he was about to write again when Yennefer logged in. The room behind her was dark and he could barely make out her face, only illuminated by the screen in front of her.   
“You look like shit!” he blurted out. “I mean… are you okay?”  
Her laugh sounded a little like a sob.  
“Yeah, I’m good. Just got a bit lost in my head and…” She shrugged. “You know how it is.”  
“Yes…” he said hesitantly, not sure he actually did. “Want to talk about it?” Which was a stupid question, because why else would she be here?  
“It’s just…” She took a deep breath and then reached for a beer, taking a very long pull. “Telling you about… stuff, just brought it all back, you know? All those years wasted, hiding myself from the world, convinced that nobody would ever find me desirable. Would ever want me.” She shook her head and sniffed. “I know it’s in the past now and I’m hot as hell and I’ve had plenty of lovers so that’s not a problem, but still… I don’t know. It just sucks.”  
“Oh Yen…” He wanted to hug her. To hold her. The best he could do was offer her a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry. I… I don’t know what to say. I guess it’s okay to feel like that, but that doesn’t really help.”  
“Actually, it does. A little.” She managed a smile in return. “I get so angry with myself when I feel like this, so hearing that you don’t find me pathetic or horribly narcissistic is actually… it makes me feel a little better.”  
“Glad I can help. I’m just sorry that I reminded you of all that. That I made you feel bad.”  
“Don’t be sorry. I probably should think about it more. Talk about it more. It doesn’t get any better by me bottling it all up and pretending I’m just perfect.”  
“You seem pretty perfect to me.” He winked at her.  
“Are you flirting with me, Professor Pankratz?” She batted her eyelashes and pouted seductively.  
“Only in a strictly platonic sense.”   
“In that case, I’m all yours.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yennefer talks about one of her lovers. Jaskier sympathises.

“So…” Jaskier said while pouring his third glass of wine. “You mentioned something about lovers… Plenty of them, I believe…”

“Yeah. What about them?” Yennefer asked, her relaxed grin instantly turning mischievous. “Jealous?”

“Depends…” he said, trying to do her eyebrow thing but probably failing. “What do you mean by plenty?”

“Oh…” She looked down at her own glass, having switched to something stronger than beer a while ago. “Well, I… I haven’t been keeping a tally or anything, but for a couple of years I did go through them quite quickly.” Was she blushing?

“Something changed?” he asked. “Are you with someone? Like, exclusively?”

Not blushing, no, but definitely uncomfortable. Maybe this was another topic he should keep out of. But before he could think of something else to say, she continued:

“For a while I was seeing somebody. Not exclusively, but… I guess you could call it steady. The problem was that it wasn’t just one person and I didn’t realise that they were both reading a lot more into it than I was, and…” 

“Ouch.” He emptied his glass. “That sounds messy.”

“It was,” she admitted. “I just didn’t realise until it was too late. One of them, a guy I used to work with, got really possessive and wanted me to move in with him and ‘make a commitment’.”

“And the other one?”

Yennefer sighed. “He was more… subtle… No, that’s not right. He was, as my friend put it, ‘emotionally challenged’. He never talked about his feelings. Never except after sex. Then he’d get really tender and declare how much I meant to him and how he could no longer picture life without me and stuff like that.”

“Awh, that’s sweet,” Jaskier said, trying to remember the last time somebody had said things like that to him.

“I thought so too. You know, I figured it was just the post-orgasmic bliss talking. Like some men fall asleep, some get a burst of energy, and this one, apparently, got all soppy after getting off.” She sighed again. “I liked it. I mean, I was feeling nice and fucked-out and it was pleasant lying there listening to him talk while he stroked my hair or ran his fingers down my arm. And he didn’t really mean it, I knew, because next time we were together, he’d be back to his usual strong and silent self and we’d jump each other and it was all good fun.”

“Except…” Jaskier prompted when she faltered.

“Except it turns out that he actually did mean it. That he was, in his own words, desperately in love with me and he would do anything for me. Even share me with the other guy as long as he didn’t have to lose me.”

“That… That’s not so bad,” Jaskier said hesitantly. In fact, to him it sounded like a pretty sweet setup. If he was ever going to settle down with somebody, he’d prefer that person to be cool with an open arrangement.

“Are you kidding me?” Yennefer asked with a disgusted look that reminded Jaskier of his first impression of her. Terrifying.

“Uhm… Yes… I am?” he stammered, quickly putting down his glass before he spilled any more wine. “I mean… I thought you were kind of into that. From what you told me”

She considered this for a moment. “Non-monogamy, you mean?”

He nodded.

“I am,” she admitted. “But not like that. I like the idea of him as a lover. And a friend. Someone I can go to when I’m in the mood for hot sex and long snuggles. But not as a… a boyfriend.” The word sounded like it physically hurt her to say. “I don’t want to owe him anything. Or bind him to me or some other such nonsense. I want to be free. To do what I want without fear of hurting him. Without…”

“Without commitment?” he suggested.

“Without love!”

Her outburst seemed to have shocked her more than it had shocked him.

“No, I… I didn’t mean that. I love him… Loved him… In a way. Just not like he wanted me to.”

“You were not _in_ love with him?” Jaskier suggested.

Yennefer’s little laugh broke his heart. “It’s such a cliché, isn’t it?” she muttered. “But yes, I was not _in_ love with him. With either of them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated the tags. I realised Yennefer might be aromantic after reading a passage in 'A Little Sacrifice' in 'Sword of Destiny' where Geralt, when being the object of a young bard's unrequited love, realises how he must have made Yennefer feel and how he will never resent her for rejecting him again.
> 
> I have some thoughts about Jaskier too. I'll tag as I go along.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaskier thinks about Geralt and... stuff...

After Yennefer’s admission, they’d talked a bit about random things, his old songs and some rare plant she’d almost killed during her first internship.

She’d cheered up before they said goodnight, but he suspected she was hiding how upset she still was.

He felt so bad for her. It wasn’t her fault that the two of them had not been on the same page. The three of them. On the other hand, the guys probably weren’t at fault either. It was a natural thing, he supposed, to see somebody you were regularly having sex with as a partner. A girlfriend. If they had never talked about their feelings or where they saw things going, it was bound to get off course. 

That was why he never hung around long enough for things to get this complicated. Not to say he just had one-night stands. More like… one-month relationships. He’d hang around for the initial rush, the lingering kisses and walking hand in hand, and then when things started getting too familiar, he’d break things off, usually amiably.

He was still friends with loads of his old lovers. Well… maybe not friends, but friendly acquaintances, if that was a thing.

He didn’t have a lot of close friends actually. Plenty of people to go out with and have fun, but not someone he’d turn to if he needed a shoulder to cry on. Maybe Yennefer could be that kind of friend. Maybe she already was. But did that really count when they’d never actually met in person?

And then there was Geralt. Emphasis on  _ was _ . It had been over a month since they last spoke and Jaskier didn’t know if he even wanted to see him again. Or if Geralt wanted to see  _ him _ .

Even if the big oaf apologised, would Jaskier ever be able to forget the things he said? To believe that he hadn’t really meant it?

He kept telling himself that Geralt had been upset about something else and Jaskier had just happened to be the one hit when he lashed out. That it didn’t really have anything to do with him. 

Lambert had confirmed as much when Jaskier had stopped by their office the next day to pick up his guitar, which he had left behind, running out before Geralt could see him cry. He wouldn’t go into specific detail but said that Geralt had just gotten off the phone minutes before Jaskier showed up, and whoever he had been speaking to, it had been pretty bad. Geralt had, according to Lambert, been seconds away from punching something, possibly him, when Jaskier had walked in, all sunshine and laughs, blabbering about some cute girl he’d seen crossing the street and how he was going to write a song about her.

Geralt had whirled on him and Jaskier might have whimpered. He knew Geralt could be intimidating—hell, he’d been on the receiving end of plenty of his menacing looks over the years—but this was nothing like that. Geralt looked furious, almost insane, as he began yelling, no,  _ screaming _ at Jaskier how he was responsible for everything bad in Geralt’s life and if he’d ever cared about him, he’d do him the favour of getting the fuck out of it.

Jaskier had done just that. Spun around on his heel and just walked out of there.

Unfortunately, he had already put his guitar down, so he’d had to come crawling back to the firm the next day. Luckily, Geralt wasn’t there and Lambert, who’d heard the whole thing, had been really sweet though a bit awkward, talking about how Geralt didn’t really mean it and he’d come begging soon enough. Everyone knew he’d be lost without Jaskier.

But that was his problem. Jaskier was perfectly fine without Geralt. Sure, he did think about him a lot, but that was just habit and, of course, because of the book he was writing. He had almost chucked the project out of pure spite, but that would be letting Geralt win. Or something…

Anyway, writing the book that would definitely piss off Geralt if he ever found out about it was actually the perfect way of getting closure on the longest and, he had thought, strongest friendship he’d ever had.

If he got the thing published, he’d send a copy to all the guys at the firm. One of them was bound to show it to Geralt. Probably Lambert.

Jaskier dozed off, imagining increasingly hilarious ways Geralt’s colleagues could tease him with the book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More updated tags. I see Jaskier as being on the aro-spec too, but not sure what to call it. It's not quite lithromantic, because he does enjoy romantic relationships. Just not long-term. He never makes it past the initial infatuation.  
> Which is why friendship is much more important to him and why the loss of Geralt hurts him in a way no ordinary breakup ever could.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are moving forward. Maybe not in the usual way but...

“So, how are we feeling today?”

Yennefer sneered. “‘ _ We _ are feeling fine. Bored out of my mind, but that’s nothing new.”

Jaskier tutted sympathetically. “Yeah, I can imagine. Being cooped up all alone is no fun, is it?” He was dying to slip down to the pub for a pint. Or bring his guitar to the park to serenade the birds and people passing by. Or even just go catch a movie on his own. Anything just to get out and see something other than his stupid, ugly little flat.

She shrugged. “It’s not that big of a difference. I mean, I do go out occasionally, but I’m not what you might call a social butterfly.”

“Oh?” Jaskier tried not to sound too surprised. Yennefer seemed so cool and he’d just automatically pictured her as one of those girls who always ended up the centre of attention. On the other hand, considering what she’d told him about her childhood and adolescence, it made a lot of sense that she had become self-sufficient. And maybe a little distrusting of other people.

He realised she was just staring down at her desk and fumbled for something to say. “So, ehm… If you could go out, what would you do?”

“I’d start with a shopping spree,” she said firmly. “And then there’s this lovely little restaurant down near the canal, where they serve the most delectable vegan stew…”

He almost spit out his tea. “Wait, are you vegan?”

“No.” She rolled her eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I can't enjoy it, does it? I mean, Elsa just has this thing with spices… You gotta try it yourself.”

“I’d love to.” These days, Jaskier mainly lived on toast and pasta. Did that count as vegan? Probably not. “Maybe you can take me?”

“Of course I will.” Her smile faltered after a second. “When it opens again. If it does… I read that a lot of smaller businesses are struggling and might not make it out of this thing.”

“That’s horrible.” Jaskier thought of his favourite little greasy chip shop. Then he slammed his head down on his desk.

“Are you okay?” Yennefer sounded concerned. 

“Yeah…” Jaskier rubbed his forehead as he straightened up. “I just realised I’m an idiot.”

“Just now?”

“Oh, haha… Isn’t that getting old?” He reached for his phone. “I know a place that doesn't usually deliver but… maybe…” He found their page. “Ha! Looks like Jaskier will be having a decent meal tonight!”

Yennefer had been scrambling for her own phone and a moment later, she cried out in triumph. “Yenne… I mean, me too! Yes!!!” 

They both began typing in their orders, then stopped at the exact same moment and looked up. 

“What if…”

“You know…”

They both stopped and laughed. 

“Ladies first.” Jaskier attempted a galant gesture which made Yennefer giggle.

“Professor Pankratz, may I treat you to a lovely dinner tonight?” She bowed her head a little.

Jaskier returned the gesture. “Only if I may take you to lunch tomorrow.”

She eyed him critically. “Pizza?”

“No!” he said, scandalised. “I’m saving that for movie night. Fish ’n' chips, of course!”

“With peas?”

“The mushiest.”

“Fine,” she said, raising her phone again. “I’ll try to get our stews delivered back to back. When do you usually eat?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a short, angsty/funny thing. I had not counted on these two being so bloody perfect together. BROTP!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaskier finds out that they have more in common than their academic careers and sense of humour.

“Oh wow, you were so right.” Jaskier suppressed a belch as he leaned back in his chair. “I didn’t think it was possible, but this was really, truly delicious. And I don’t just mean ‘delicious for a vegan dish’. It might just be the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

“That’s only because you haven’t tried my chili,” Yennefer teased, putting her own bowl down. “But that  _ will _ have to wait until all this is over.”

Jaskier allowed himself a pout. “It’s a real shame, it is. I’d love to try your chili. And I could reciprocate. I am told I make a mean fry-up.”

“Jaskier!”

It wasn’t before he heard the outrage in her voice and saw the amusement in her eyes that he realised what offering to make her breakfast sounded like. 

“No!” he said quickly, holding up his hands. “I didn’t mean it like that, just… Maybe like a brunch thing or something…”

Yennefer laughed. “There you go again. You really do not want to sleep with me, do you?”

“Yes, I mean, no…” Jaskier hated himself for blushing. “I mean, it’s not that I don’t find you attractive…”

“Relax, Dandy, I’m just messing with you. We already talked about this, remember? You think I’m hot but want to be my friend.”

“That’s right, I… Wait! What did you call me?”

“Dandy… You know, like Dandelion.”

He stared at her blankly.

“Your YouTube name…”

“Yeah, I know that was my name, but why are you calling me that now?”

It was Yennefer’s turn to look uncomfortable. “I may have… spent some time watching your videos.”

“Gods no.” He rolled his eyes. “Please don’t. Those old things are so awkward.”   
“No, they’re not, they’re sweet. And you really did have a wonderful voice. Do?”

He nodded. “Still do. Though these days, I mainly use it in the shower.”

“Now, I could see that as another illicit invitation, but I don’t want to give you a stroke, so…”

“Thank you.”

They both laughed this time.

“So…” he asked after pouring himself a glass of wine. “Which one was your favourite?”

“I liked the sad ones, where you do that thing with your voice, but I must admit the one that got stuck in my head was that hero-thing. That one was really catchy.”

“Tell me about it. It took me years to stop humming it.” That one was, of course, about Geralt, and he would have expected it to sting more, talking about it, but at the moment it was only a dull ache, easily ignored. “But it got me the most hits by far.”

“Rightly so.” Yennefer reached for a glass of something that he suspected was a lot stronger than his own drink. She took a deep breath. “That… ‘hero’ you’re singing about, did you just make him up, or is he… you know… based on somebody?”

Jaskier could suddenly feel his heart pounding in his chest. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s just…” She looks as uncomfortable as he felt. “There are things that kind of sound familiar. Like the ‘silver hair and feline stare’...”

“Oh gods…” The laugh that escaped him sounded positively insane. “You’ve fucked Geralt.”

Yennefer cringed. “Yeah, we… He was the guy… The one I told you about.”

“What? The one who’d go all fuzzy and declare his undying love after you…”

“Yeah, that one. The one whose heart I broke, stomped on and then tossed out the window.”

“Let me guess…” He could barely get the words out as the memor, which he had been doing his best to, if not suppress, then at least trivialise, hit him full force. “It happened about a month ago.”

“Yes, how did you know? Did he tell you… Jaskier? What’s wrong?”

He was not crying. He was not crying. He was… sobbing into his hands as he curled in on himself with a miserable howl.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yennefer asks the important question

“Jaskier! Jaskier, please!” 

He was only vaguely registering Yennefer’s voice from the speaker of his laptop as Geralt’s snarled words echoed through his mind. ‘If life could give me one blessing…’

“Fuck you…” he gasped between sobs. “Fuck you, Geralt.”

“Gods, Jaskier.” 

He finally looked up at Yennefer. She was pale and her eyes wide. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I don’t know, I…” She bit her lip. “Sorry, but… Do you want to talk about it?”

“No…” he muttered, reaching for the wine bottle. “I don’t, I…”

Over the next half hour, he managed to recount the story of their decades-long friendship (Yennefer, kindly, did not remark on this revelation of Jaskier’s actual age) and how it had ended. It hurt like hell talking about it, but he also knew that he had to. That he needed to face it one more time. To get over it.

When he was done, there was a long silence. Then Yennefer cleared her throat.

“Jaskier, promise me you won’t get mad, but I need to ask you something.”

“Sure.” He just shrugged. There was nothing she could say to make things any worse. Except…

“Jaskier, are you in love with him? With Geralt?”

That was the one question he had never asked himself, never acknowledged there was even any reason to ask, but considering that he had been pining—there was not really any other word for it, was there—for over a month and had now broken down in a way that had not happened since he was five and his hamster died, he supposed it was time to try and answer it.

It wasn’t easy. He had been in love so many times that he had lost count years ago, but he had never felt the way about anybody that he did about Geralt. But was it love?

“I…” he began, cleared his throat, sipped some wine and tried again. “I love… loved him, but… No, not like that.”

There was a long moment of silence and then, to his bewilderment, Yennefer laughed. Jaskier raised his head to stare at her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, actually wiping a tear away. “It’s just… Poor Geralt… The Continent’s biggest closet romantic and he ends up with the two of us…”

Jaskier couldn’t help himself and began to giggle. “You’re right. That poor dolt… If anyone is ill-equipped to deal with… whatever we are…” He gestured between himself and the screen, “it’s Mr. Emotionally Constipated.”

Yennefer forced her expression into one of silent contempt. She nodded. “Hmm…”

Jaskier snorted. “Fuck!”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaskier does some thinking. And some cleaning up.

“Oh dear, we are horrible, aren’t we?” Yennefer asked, what felt like hours later, when they had been forced to stop their fun by aching heads and sore muscles from all the laughing.

“I suppose so…” Jaskier let out a heavy sigh that came all too close to another fit of giggles. “But it’s not like we said those things to his face… Or will ever see him again…” Okay, so that still hurt a bit. “And I really needed this. Thank you. You’re the best. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Yennefer blew him a kiss. “Be sad and miserable and lonely. But it’s not like it’s a one-sided thing. If it weren’t for you, I’d have cut myself off from the world completely by now. Just me and my plants. Thank you for reminding me that the human race is not completely hopeless.”

He beamed at her. “You know… We don’t have to stay inside all the time. I’m pretty sure taking walks is still okay. Even together, as long as we don’t get too close.”

“Oh, Jaskier. I’m really not a walking kind of person, you know. Unless I’m going somewhere.”

“Yeah, me neither. Not unless…” He stopped, then mentally chided himself for it and carried on: “Unless I was tagging along after Geralt, talking his ear off.”

“Oh gods… That man can  _ walk _ !” Yennefer groaned. “He was always trying to make me come along with him to all kinds of ridiculous places.”

“Meanwhile, he was trying to stop me from following him.”

They both sighed and shook their head in unison. 

“But I do get your point, I guess,” she said. “It would be nice to meet in person. To talk properly. I just don’t feel like strolling around the park with all the other stir-crazy freaks.”

Jaskier frowned. “All the shops and pubs are closed… So… I guess we’ll have to wait?”

“I guess.”

The evening, which had been quite a rollercoaster of emotions, ended on a melancholic note as they both bemoaned having gotten to know each other at such an inconvenient time. On the other hand, were it not for the whole closing down of the city, they’d instead have met in a conference room with Tissaia and that economics guy, Lazlo, and they might never have gotten the chance to talk about anything other than work.

After saying goodnight, Jaskier couldn’t help wondering how they had never met through Geralt. Yennefer told him they’d been hooking up on and off for years. So why had he never seen her? Or heard about her? Had Geralt perhaps had the same suspicion that Yennefer had voiced tonight? Did he think that Jaskier was in love with him?

Had he been trying to spare his feelings? Afraid of breaking his heart? 

If that was the case, he sure had failed. 

Because he had, hadn’t he? Even if Jaskier wasn’t attracted to him romantically (and only a little physically, because how could he not be?), Geralt had still been the most important person in his life. The one he trusted and depended on. The one who would always be there.

Until he wasn’t.

Jaskier shook his head firmly. No! He was not going down that hole again. He had had a good thing, the best thing, and he had lost it. Things like that happened. He was allowed to ache. To grieve. But he was not gonna let himself fall apart.

He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring how his body protested at having been stuck at the desk for so many hours in a row, grabbed an empty box from on top of the wardrobe and began working his way through the flat, getting rid of all the little mementos of moments with Geralt he had squirreled away over the years: ticket stubs, one of his old t-shirts Jaskier had borrowed after an accident with a garden hose, the book he’d bought as an excuse for dragging Geralt around an old interesting shop for hours, but never actually opened, and… damn the man… the tarnished silver bracelet Geralt had gifted to him during Jaskier’s never-spoken-of-again emo phase.

He carried the box up to the storage room in the attic, emptied the rest of the wine bottle and went to bed, determined to start over tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yen has an idea

“So, how are  _ you _ feeling today?” Yennefer seemed to have brought her laptop out onto some sort of balcony. Jaskier could see blue sky, trees and the corner of a white and grey building in the background.

“I’m fine.” He picked up his tea in one hand, his tablet in the other and brought both over to the chair by the window. “Hang on a second.” He went and got his toast, then settled down for their morning chat. 

Yennefer was shovelling what looked like yoghurt with some kind of red fruit into her mouth. She did the eyebrow thing.

Jaskier rolled his eyes dramatically and then took longer than he probably had to, chewing his toast.

“It hurt, okay?” he finally relented, when she didn’t show any sign of letting him off the hook. “Knowing that I was just collateral damage in the grand love-story that was you and Geralt…”

“Nothing grand about it,” she interjected.

“To him there was. From what you’re telling me, you were the love of his life and not only did he use me as his emotional punching bag when you dumped him, but in all those years, he never mentioned you to me once.”

“Or you to me.”

“That doesn’t exactly make it better, you know.”

“I know.” Yennefer scrunched her nose as she thought. “But maybe that’s not a testament to how little he cared about us… either of us… Maybe it’s just Geralt being awkward.”

“And stupid.”

“Always stupid.”

The hysterical mirth of last night had faded and now they both just smiled and nodded, for a moment lost in their own personal memories of their favourite dunce.

Jaskier went to get more tea and when he returned, Yennefer was reading something on her phone.

“Got plans today?” 

“I got a meeting with some people from the department,” she shrugged. “Nothing big, just checking in, really. You?”

“I got a lecture at ten and then ‘office hours’—” He caught himself before he could do air quotes— “until three.”

“So we’ll meet at four? Maybe do the fish ’n’ chips tonight?”

He grinned and nodded. “I’ll place the order for six thirty. Does that work for you?”

He logged in at 3.05, figuring he could just hang around and play games on his phone until she came on. She was already there.

“Jaskier!” she said, looking very serious. “I’ve been thinking.”

His heart dropped, but he tried to play it off with a crooked smile. “Bragging?”

“Ha, ha, very funny. No, I mean… We’ve been talking an awful lot these past days, right? It’s like we spend more time together than on our own.”

He clenched his fists, glad she could only see his face. He was not sure he could handle one more friend-breakup. Not now.

“Yeah?” he managed.

She narrowed her eyes, making him feel like a specimen under a microscope. Then she shook her head.

“No, Jaskier!” she said quickly. “Relax! It’s not a bad thing. Really. It’s the opposite.”

He felt his shoulders physically drop. Okay, so maybe he had been giving off more tells than he thought.

“Oh?”

“Really. The thing is, when we logged off this morning, I… I missed you. I was so bored all day, even considered trying to find a way into your lecture or writing to you while you were supposed to be helping your students.” She giggled. Actually giggled. “I felt like an idiot. Like a schoolgirl with a crush, only…”

“Only it’s not like that,” he finished for her. “I know what you mean, I missed you too.”

Her smile was positively radiant. “That’s great, because I may have an idea.”

“Do tell,” he prompted, leaning forward, already imagining an intricate system of cameras and screens all over the flat.

“Well, we’re supposed to be isolating ourselves, right?” she said, waiting for him to nod.

She was being dramatic, which he thought indicated that this was going to be good. In fact, it might just be…

“Maybe we could be isolated… together?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, it doesn’t seem like you have any pets or something that depends on you, and we both live alone and order our food and groceries in, so we don’t really see other people, and… I have a guest room…”

“Oh Yen…” He could have kissed her. “You are the most brilliant person in the whole world… Are you sure? I mean, we don’t know each other that well and I’ve been told I can be very annoying.”

“In that case I’ll send you back home,” she said with a laugh. “Just… I don’t want to be alone. I want to try your fry-up, I want to snuggle when we watch movies and I want to be able to hug you when it all becomes too much.”

He got to his feet, barely keeping his face in sight of the camera. “I’ll start packing. Text me your address?”

“See you soon, Dandy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is finished, except for some editing, so I'll try to get the last two chapters out before the weekend.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A guest...

As soon as the restrictions were lifted somewhat, they returned to Jaskier’s flat and Yennefer helped him pack up the rest of the stuff he would need before handing in the notice. He had already made himself pretty much at home in the guest room and more and more of his belongings had migrated into her kitchen and living room, until one day they had looked each other in the eyes and agreed they might as well make it permanent. 

They weren’t the perfect flatmates. Far from it. Jaskier would, as he had predicted, annoy the hell out of her at times, with his constant chatter and casual handling of his not-quite-yet-laundry (“But if I wash the shirts every single time I’ve worn them, they’re going to get faded and it’s such a bother. They just need a little bit of air.” “Not on the table where I eat my breakfast!” “Grouch!” “Slob!”) and Yennefer would hog the bathroom for so long at a time that Jaskier jokingly threatened to break down the door to make sure she had not drowned in the bathtub.

He had only known one other person more obsessed with bathing. And that thought didn’t really bother him anymore.

But in spite of the occasional glare or shouting match, life was good and they settled into a comfortable rhythm of Jaskier waking Yennefer up with freshly made coffee before starting his lectures, during which she would keep him supplied with tea and snacks in between tending to her plants, which she grew in a tiny greenhouse at one end of the small balcony. He was starting to dread having to return to campus and regular lectures, but Yen just teased him and then threatened to show up with a lunchbox and thermos for him in front of all his students. He pretended outrage but thought he probably wouldn’t mind.

All in all, life was pretty good and Jaskier felt like he had finally truly moved on.

And then the doorbell rang.

Geralt was wearing clothes Jaskier had never seen. His hair was gathered back in the usual style, but it looked like he might have added some kind of product to smooth it down. 

They just stood there, Geralt holding up a bouquet of purple and white flowers as if they were a weapon with which to fend off… Jaskier?

Jaskier finally managed to close his mouth and swallowed, trying to find the right words… any words… to say. Then he felt a slender arm snake around his waist and Yennefer rested her head on his shoulder. 

“Geralt,” she purred. “How nice to see you. Do come in.”

“I…” Geralt looked back and forth between them. “I didn’t know… I… didn’t mean to…”

“Don’t be silly.” Yennefer pulled Jaskier aside to make room for Geralt, who walked inside with a strange stiff gate, almost as if his body was being moved against his will.

“Jaskier, could you take Geralt’s jacket?” Yennefer winked up at him, then faced Geralt again. “You’ve met Jaskier, right?”

“Uhm… yes…” Geralt managed a nod and then looked down at the flowers in his hand as if surprised to see them. He held them out towards Yennefer. “For you.”

Yennefer just slipped away, heading for the kitchen. “You know where the vases are, right, honey?” she called over her shoulder, and it took Jaskier entirely too long to realise that she was talking to him. 

“Sure.... darling. I’ll take care of it.” He reached for the flowers, cringing at Geralt’s obvious discomfort as he handed them over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I'll make up for it with the final chapter which will hopefully be up tomorrow.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get things sorted out.

Dinner was nice but not exactly comfortable. Yennefer had arranged them so she and Jaskier sat side by side, facing an increasingly subdued Geralt. Sure, Geralt could be quiet and even sulky at times, but Jaskier had also seen him at ease, talking freely or even jesting. But tonight it was like the first time they met. Geralt avoided their eyes and answered in grunts or curtly barked syllables when actual words were required.

Yen, of course, pretended not to notice and chatted in a light, casual tone that Jaskier knew by now meant that she was taking an almost perverse pleasure in her victim’s squirming. He’d seen her use it on colleagues and the odd unlucky student too often to mistake it for anything but the game it was. She was as mischievous as Jaskier himself. Only more subtle about it. And mean.

She kept shooting him glances, probably expecting him to join in on the fun. But Jaskier just couldn’t do it. Geralt might be unusually quiet tonight, but Jaskier almost outdid him. His mind just couldn’t get any words past the jumble of thoughts and emotions that seeing his old friend had brought up in him.

Finally Yennefer gave up. Or took pity on them.

“So, Geralt,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Why are you here?”

Geralt gave a start and then cleared his throat nervously. “Uhm, I… I came to say hi.”

“Bullshit!” Yennefer spat. “I haven’t heard from you in six months. If you wanted to be friendly, you would have gotten in touch sooner.” She cocked her head, smirking cruelly. “Were you looking for a booty call?”

“No, I…” Geralt paled visibly. “I want to… I was going to… I…” 

Jaskier did not want to witness this. He made to push his chair back, but Yennefer grabbed his arm and gave it a soft squeeze. Meant as a comfort? Or a command? He stayed.

“I want to apologise,” Geralt muttered, finally looking up at Yennefer. “For what I did to you. How I treated you.”

“What?” Yennefer gaped at him. “What do you mean?”

Geralt sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I… Something happened and I realised. I realised that I was demanding something from you I had no right to expect. That I was pushing you and… making you feel bad.”

It was Jaskier who asked: “What happened?”

“There was this girl…” 

Haltingly, with a lot of prompting and a few more beers, Geralt told them how he had hooked up with a young woman, Essi, one of Jaskier’s former students—which he decided not to bring up at this point—and she had, according to herself, fallen desperately in love with him. It had felt like a good solution to his own heartache. Be what she wanted him to be, at least for a while. He could make her happy, doing all the things for her that he had wanted to do for Yen. 

He had given it a try, taking her out for a couple of dates until one night it hit him, while sitting together outside a café down by the water, listening to a street performer while Essi talked happily about her sister’s wedding. That claustrophobic feeling that was always present at the back of his mind these days, the sense of vague guilt mixed with growing anger towards Essi… 

If Yennefer had felt anything like this… If he had made her feel like this...

“I’m so fucking sorry,” he said, his eyes moist and more red than Jaskier had ever seen them. “I just wanted to be with you, I never thought about what you wanted. Not really.”

The silence was suffocating.

Then Yennefer stood up and walked around the table, gesturing for Geralt to stand too. He did, hesitantly, and she hugged him.

“You idiot,” she whispered in his ear, just loud enough for Jaskier to hear. “You didn’t do anything bad to me. Abuse me in any way. I…”

Jaskier decided that it was time to go. Moving as quietly as he could, so as not to disturb them, he got up and left the room, heading out onto the small balcony where the sun was setting over Oxenfurt in an unusually flamboyant display of colours.

He could write a ballad about this sunset. Or an epic poem.

Anything to distract him from what he’d just heard.

But, of course, his mind refused to focus on anything but what Geralt had said. The man who had so desperately wanted the love of a woman that the pain of rejection had made him lash out and hurt his friend. Hurt Jaskier who, in his own way, loved Geralt every bit as much as he had loved Yennefer. But friendship wasn’t what Geralt wanted. It was love. Romance. 

And then Essi, poor, sweet, impulsive Essi, had fallen head over heels for Geralt, offered him the thing Yennefer had not been able to give.

But Geralt had turned it down. He didn’t just want romance. He wanted it with Yennefer. So that was what being in love meant? Not just wanting intimacy and tenderness with somebody, but with a specific person? 

Jaskier supposed that, if that was the case, he himself had never been truly in love. 

But on the other hand, Jaskier wanted a friendship like the one he had had with Geralt. But  _ only _ with Geralt. Sure, he shared something wonderful with Yen and could no longer imagine living without her, but it was not the same.

She… she was not Geralt.

Jaskier was torn from his miserable musings by a soft knock on the open glass door. He whirled around, almost losing his balance. Geralt quickly caught and steadied him.

“Hey,” he said, rather lamely.

“Hey,” Jaskier replied, much more eloquently.

“I… I talked things out with Yen and we agreed… We’re gonna try being friends.” Geralt let go of Jaskier and moved to the railing of the balcony, looking out over the city.

“That’s… nice…” Jaskier said, pretending to enjoy the view too, while trying to clear the moisture from his eyes with rapid blinking. “So I guess I’ll be… seeing you around?”

Geralt hummed and nodded. “If you don’t mind?”

“No… I… That would be nice.”

The sun was almost gone now and the air was getting cold. Jaskier shivered. A second later, he almost screamed as he felt a blanket, the one Yennefer always forgot to bring inside with her, settle over his shoulders.

“Thank you,” he muttered, closing his eyes in a final, futile attempt to keep the tears back. “I’m glad you worked it out.”

“Me too.” Geralt was quiet for a moment. Then he put a gentle hand on Jaskier’s shoulder. “She… She said something.”

“Yeah?” Jaskier waited, but when Geralt didn’t continue, he gave in and looked over at him.

Geralt’s smile was the softest and most painful one Jaskier had ever seen on him.

“She made me realise that she wasn’t the one I should apologise to. That she wasn’t the one I had hurt. Not really.”

“Oh…” Jaskier couldn’t keep himself from biting his lip. The trembling was solely caused by the chill air. “Who..?”   
“You, Jaskier!” Geralt huffed. “I hurt you. I knew I did, but I didn’t realise how much until she knocked some sense into me. Almost literally. I…” He took Jaskier’s hand in his. “I’m so sorry. Do you think you can ever forgive me?”

Jaskier held Geralt’s eyes for a moment, then turned away again. He sighed and then leaned in to rest his head on Geralt’s shoulder. “Maybe,” he said, feeling a small smile coming on. “But you’re going to have to make it up to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can’t find a good aromantic love story, write it yourself, right?   
> Whether I succeeded, I’ll leave up to you guys.
> 
> The whole thing was, as I mentioned at the beginning, inspired by the tumblr-post about being Zoommates. But I’ve read so many stories about characters falling in love like that and just…  
> I needed to do something different.  
> Meanwhile, though I am much farther along in the books now (might finish eventually), that passage from ‘A Little Sacrifice’ just wouldn’t leave me alone. The two combined and this is the result.
> 
> I would like to thank my brilliant beta The_Lady_of_Purpletown who helped me keep the story on track and is responsible for at least 95% of the commas.
> 
> You guys should also thank her (and go check out her awesome fics here on Ao3), because not only did she beta this fic without having watched, played or read ‘The Witcher’, but thanks to a bargain I made with her, there will be a sequel. A fluffy (and slightly angsty) sequel. With precisely 8 chapters...


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